Forest department removes encroachment and restore elephant passage in Anayirankal
Forest department officials in Idukki have cleared illegal encroachments and cardamom plantations to restore a traditional elephant passage near Anayirankal. The move aims to reduce human-elephant conflict, though local planters have protested the removal of fences on titled lands.
Why it matters
This incident underscores the tension between environmental conservation efforts and the economic interests of agricultural landholders in protected zones.
Forest department officials on Tuesday cleared a major encroachment on government land and restored a natural elephant passage in the proposed Chinnakkanal reserve near Anayirankal, under the Devikulam forest range in Idukki. According to Devikulam Range Officer E.D. Arun Kumar, a group of five individuals encroached upon nearly 10 hectares of land within the 56.36-hectare proposed reserve area at Choonadal, near Anayirankal, and began cardamom cultivation. The forest department team reclaimed the land and destroyed the illegally planted cardamom crops.
Officials noted that the encroachers had installed solar fencing and steel cables across the land and throughout the catchment area of the Anayirankal dam. On Tuesday, forest personnel dismantled the illegal barriers to reopen the traditional wildlife route.
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